Do you think Miki will make the Olympic Team for Japan? And if So who do you think she will bump off the team?

I don't think she will make the Olympic team, but I think she'll make a good shot at it. Her comeback was solid, and clearly she still has her jumping ability. I think if Murakami suffers UR jumps and Miki skates cleanly, that might cost her spot. Suzuki is a question mark sometimes, but I think that she'll pull out the stops at Nationals. Miki has less to lose and has the reputation, which makes her a threat to all the Japanese skaters (except for Mao).

I'm really pleased though with how put together Ando was. She will certainly need a better program though. There's a lot of stroking around and not many transitions or interesting choreography, but I'm cutting her some slack since it's her first time back.

What she has shown last weekend would not get her on the team IMO. However, her comeback is still in its early stages and if she improves further she could finish as high as second at her nationals. Akiko and Kanako aren't exactly the most consistent skaters and are certainly beatable by a two-time world champion in peak form. Whether Miki regains her form is the big question.

What she has shown last weekend would not get her on the team IMO. However, her comeback is still in its early stages and if she improves further she could finish as high as second at her nationals. Akiko and Kanako aren't exactly the most consistent skaters and are certainly beatable by a two-time world champion in peak form. Whether Miki regains her form is the big question.

Agreed. What she showed would probably get her a top 5, but her program will need to be cleaned up and increased in intricacy, and she'll need to get her flip back. Of course, she'll also have to rely on Murakami and Suzuki to make errors. It's not out of the question, but who knows how many errors Miki might make when her program gets more difficult.

Japanese Nationals is in 3 months. I do not think Miki can possibly return to full form in such a short time. It's not just the jumps. Her spins and footwork were all level2 and she was clearly struggling with them. She can't work in depth with all those issues all at once, so I'd say her chances of making the Olympic team are slim.

It is possible and if it happens I think Akiko will be the one to suffer a setback. I just can't imagine Japan to leave Kanako at home, when you look at her last results on the international stage. Maybe they will split spots for Worlds and Olympics......

I am not Japanese so I don't know how your qualification system works, but if your national committee picks after nationals, then all she must do is to get on the Podium there.
In that case I would not write her off to be honest, she has the experience and confidence which plays a very big role. Look at all those wonderful skaters that didn't qualify because of nerves :( Miki has an advantage there, don't underestimate this.

It is possible and if it happens I think Akiko will be the one to suffer a setback. I just can't imagine Japan to leave Kanako at home, when you look at her last results on the international stage. Maybe they will split spots for Worlds and Olympics......

On the other hand, Suzuki has recently beaten Mao with a very strong performance at World Team trophy, and while Kanako has a 4th, Suzuki has a bronze and higher GP finishes than Kanako last season. Suzuki's only major setback was, unfortunately, at Worlds.